Paint Me A Picture
by short dark and stubborn
Summary: 10 year old Gordon has a request for 15 year old Virgil. Based on the original series.


Ages in this story. Scott 18, Virgil 15, John 13, Gordon 10, Allie 9. My first fanfic. Please be kind.

* * *

Jeff Tracy smiled as he read aloud Virgil's school report at the dinner table. All the boys put down their forks as the head of the Tracy family cleared his throat and started to speak in his pleasant, deep voice.

"It says here Virgil, that you are top of your year in drawing and painting. Well done, son!"

There were muffled giggles all around the table as Virgil blushed furiously. The fifteen year old was a shy boy and didn't really like the attention being on him, especially when it concerned his creative side. He didn't mind when it was about something technical. That was proper boy's stuff. But art and painting was girly and to prove this fact he had inherited his talents from his mother, who had passed away when he was six.

"Aw, Dad," he said, burying his face in his hands.

"Hey Picasso, draw a picture of me," said Gordon, then he threw some peas at his brother and laughed harder. His father stopped him throwing food by giving him a dirty look.

"Gordon. There are children starving all over the world." He told his red haired boy.

"Sorry Dad. I just wanted Virgil to draw me. Since he's top of his class and everything."

"I can't draw people too good," muttered Virgil.

"Yes you can," said Alan. "You can draw Mickey Mouse!"

"Mickey Mouse isn't a person," said Virgil. "He's a mouse."

"He's a mouse that's like a person," insisted Alan. "He wears clothes and he has a pet dog. And he lives in a house and has a girlfriend."

"Like you," said Gordon. "Your girlfriend is Lily Ames."

Alan screamed loudly until his father banged a glass down on the table. "Where is everyone's manners?" he shouted. "Virgil should be proud of himself for being good at something, no matter what it is. Your mother was a wonderful painter, when she found the time to paint she produced work that was good enough for the New York Gallery."

"I bet she could draw Mickey Mouse AND Goofy," said Alan. He didn't mind being shouted at, it happened all the time.

"She could draw whatever she wanted," said Jeff. "And if that meant Mickey Mouse, then yes. She could."

There was a loud cough from the other end of the table and everyone turned to stare at Scott who was choking on a piece of steak because he was trying not to laugh so much. His good looking face was bright red and he was glad there weren't any girls around to see him at this moment. John gave him a weary thump on the back and the piece of steak came out.

Gordon turned back to Virgil. "Draw a picture of me though. Please Virgil? Please? Pretty please with a booger on top?"

Virgil sighed. "All right, Gordy. I'll see what I can do."

* * *

The next day, out in the garden.

"Virgil?"

Virgil, who was busy constructing a go-kart for Alan, banged his thumb with the hammer. "Shoot, Gordon, warn me when you're going to sneak up on me like that."

"Sorry," Gordon giggled. "I hope that's not your drawing hand."

"You're lucky it isn't because I haven't finished your painting yet."

Gordon's eyes widened. "Painting? You're actually doing a painting?"

Virgil sucked his thumb and then examined the reddened tip. "Yeah. It started out as a drawing but then I got carried away. I was up until five o'clock this morning doing it."

"Wow," said Gordon. "When will it be ready?"

"Not yet," said Virgil. "Now scoot."

* * *

"Is it done yet?" asked Gordon after dinner.

"Not yet. I haven't had much time today what with my thumb being so sore."

"Oh. Sorry," said Gordon. He began to fidget. "Can I at least see what you've done so far?"

"No you can't," said Virgil.

* * *

The next day the painting wasn't finished, and the day after that it wasn't finished either. Gordon was getting more and more restless.

* * *

Finally the day came. Gordon was having a rare quiet moment reading a comic book in the shade of a tree.

"GORDON!" yelled Virgil, frightening the boy out of his wits. The comic book went flying.

"Virgil! You scared me!"

"Payback for the other day. Anyhow, your painting is done. Wanna come see it?"

Gordon scrambled to his feet. "Do I?"

"I dunno, do you?"

"Yes I do!" shouted Gordon, gleefully. "Yes I do! Show me it, I wanna see!"

"Okay then. Calm down and follow me."

Virgil led his chattering brother into the living room where a covered canvas stood on an easel. All of their brothers were gathered for the big unveiling. Gordon immediately became nervous when he saw John's already critical stare and Scott lounging back on the sofa with a big expectant smile on his face.

"Show's about to begin," said their eldest brother.

Virgil went to the canvas and stood next to it. He cleared his throat and made them wait until they were all restless and fidgeting.

"Virgil just do it," complained John, "I'm starting to need the bathroom."

Virgil smiled and complied. He whipped the covering away from the canvas and said, "Ta daaa."

The painting was unveiled. Everyone stared. Gordon's mouth fell open.

It was a painting of the ocean, a glorious blue ocean full of beautiful rainbow coloured fish. Tropical corals. The sun glinting down from above. Lots of little details like bubbles rising from the corals and shells half buried in the sandy floor. They could almost feel as if they were there. The water would be warm in places and cold in others as the currents shifted. Nobody spoke a word. They just sat there, muted into silence, except for a breathy mutter from Scott.

"Jeez Louise, Virgil! That is..." typical of Scott, he trailed off leaving his sentence unfinished. Anyone could guess at what he had been trying to say.

"Well? What do you think?" asked Virgil, watching Gordon's face closely.

"Where am I?" asked the confused redhead, peering from tiny detail to tiny detail.

Virgil tapped the painting with the back of his fingers. "You're everywhere. It's all you. This whole painting is of you."

Gordon's mouth opened and shut like one of the fish in the painting. He looked like he was going to cry. Scott sat forward and stroked his chin thoughtfully. John blinked several times like a skinny blond owl. Alan stared at Gordon, speechless for once.

"I told you I couldn't draw people," said Virgil.

The end


End file.
